A little nod to game season and a great winter stew. Don’t be tempted to buy anything too lean as you need the fat to stop the venison becoming dry when slow-cooking.
Wine Suggestion: This dish needs a juicy red wine with structure, but not too many dry tannins. Tonight we tried Domaine Rochette’s Morgon, a good cru Beaujolais, and were delighted how well it worked.
Braised Venison – serves 8
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 140g turnip/swede, roughly chopped
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 3 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- olive oil and butter, for frying
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1kg boned haunch or shoulder of venison cut into large chunks
- 5 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
- 450ml dry red wine e.g. Rioja
- 450ml beef stock
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4.
Fry the vegetable in a little oil or butter in a heavy casserole for about 5 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute, then set aside.
Put the venison into a plastic bag with the seasoned flour and shake to coat. Add a little oil and butter to a large frying pan and fry the venison over a high heat until well browned. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and add to the casserole with the vegetables. You will need to do this in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Add a little more oil and butter with each batch if needed.
Add the redcurrant jelly and wine to the frying pan and bring to the boil, scraping any crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine mixture to the casserole dish, then add the beef stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Season and bring to the boil, then cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hours or until tender. Check the seasoning before serving. We enjoyed ours with some dauphinoise potatoes and green cabbage.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 
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